Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences 2(4): 199-207, 2010
ISSN: 2041-0492
© M axwell Scientific Organization, 2010
Submitted Date: June 25, 2010
Accepted Date: July 27, 2010
Published Date: October 05, 2010
Some Physical and Chemical Parameters of Luubara Creek, Ogoni Land,
Niger Delta, Nigeria
1
S.N. Deekae and 2 J.F.N. Abowei and 3 A.C. Chindah
Departm ent of Fisheries and A quatic Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Riv ers State
University of Science and Technolo gy, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
2
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce
Island , Am assoma, Bay elsa State, Nigeria
3
Institute of Pollution Stu dies, R ivers S tate University of Science and Techno logy ,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
1
Abstract: Some physical and chem ical conditions of L uubara creek in Ogoni land area of Nigeria was studied
for a period of two years(January, 2006 to December, 2007).The mean monthly rainfa ll during the sampling
period was 169.28±117.57 mm; while the m ean monthly hum idity was 75 .10±5.3% . The am bient temperature
recorded for the study area was between 27.65 and 34.35ºC with a mean of 30.62±0.37ºC. The surface water
temperature ranged from 25.05 to 32.20ºC with a mean of 27.58±0.18ºC. The pH values ranged from 5.00 and
7.5 (acidic to neutral). All the three stations were slightly acidic (pH 6.33-6.56) with a mean of 6.43±0.09.
Station 1 and 3 showed slight alkalinity. The lowest pH was recorded in station 2 while station 1 recorded the
highest pH. Total alkalinity values ranged from 5.0 and 15.0 mg /L with a mean of 8.11±0.23 mg/L. Station 3
recorded the highest alk alinity (8.3 5±2.2 mg/L) while station 2 had the lowest alkalinity (7.89±2.10 mg/L). The
alkalinity pattern of the creek was variable. Electrical conductivity ranged from 8.0 and 24.50 :s/cm and the
mean conductivity was 13.37±1.27 :s/cm. Station 1 had the lowest electrical conductivity (12.32±4.13 :s/cm).
The turbidity of the water ranged from 1.50 NIU to 10.00 NTU with a mean of 4.92±0.0 9 N TU . Station 1
recorded the lowest mean turbidity (4.28±2.05 NTU) w hile station 2 had the high est me an turb idity
(4.50±2.46 NTU ).The dissolv ed ox ygen con centration values ran ged from 4 .00 to 7.50 mg/L with a mean of
5.88±0.21 mg/L. There was a fall in the oxygen concentration. Station 3 had the highest mean oxygen
concentration (6.19±0.99 mg/L) while station 2 had the highest mean concentration of 5.73±0.89 mg/L. The
dissolved oxygen concentration valu es ranged from 4 .00 to 7.50 m g/L with a mean of 5.88 ±0.21 m g/L. There
was a fall in the oxygen concentration. Station 3 had the highest mean oxygen concentration (6.19±0.99 mg/L)
while station 2 had the highest mean concentration of 5.73±0.89 mg/L. Luubara creek is a fresh water creek.
Station 1 and station 2 had zero salinity. T he m ean salinity w as 0.03±0.04‰ .The phospha te concentration levels
ranged from 0 .02 to 0.86 mg/L with a mean of 0.54±0.32 mg/L. Station 1 had the least phosphate concentration
(0.73±0.11 mg/L) while station 2 recorded the highest phosphate concentration (0.86±0.12 mg/L). The nitrate
concentration values ranged from 0.03 to 1.95mg/L (0.30±0.09 mg/L). Station 1 had the low est me an nitrate
concentration of 0.22±0.03 mg/L while station 3 had the highest me an nitrate conce ntration (0.43±0 .54 mg/L ).
Key w ords: Luubara Creek, Niger Delta, Nigeria, Ogoni land, water conditions
INTRODUCTION
W ater quality parameters are important for the
survival of aquatic flora and fauna. Some important
physical and chemical factors influen cing the aqu atic
environment are temperature, rainfall, pH, conductivity,
salinity and dissolved oxygen. Others are phosphate,
nitrate, chloride, turbidity, transparency, other dissolved
gasses an d depth of water.
Tem perature can be defined as the degree of hotness
or coldness in the body of living organisms either in water
or on land (Kutty, 1987; O dum , 1971 ; Boy d, 197 9). It is
very important in waters, because it determines the rate of
metabolism of aquatic organisms. The concentration of
dissolved gases and their solubility in water also depends
on the pre vailing air temp erature. The grow th, feeding
reproduction and migratory behavior of aquatic organisms
including fish and shrimps is greatly influenced by
the temperature of water (Largler et al., 1977;
Suski et al., 2006; Fey, 20 06; Crillet and Q uetin, 2006).
Aquatic organ isms h ave their ow n tolerance lim its to
temperature and this affects their distribution. High
temperatures are recorded on the surface of river waters
during midday and become low during the latter part of
Corresponding Author: J.F.N. Abowei, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Niger Delta University,
Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
199
Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 199-207, 2010
the night (Kutty, 1968). River water shows little thermal
stratification because of the turbulent flow which ensures
that any hea t received is ev enly d istributed .
The amount of dissolved oxygen in water is very
important for aquatic organisms. Dissolved oxygen affects
the growth, survival, distribution, behavior and
physiology of shrimps and other aquatic organisms
(Solis, 1988). For instance, only fishes that tolerate low
oxygen can survive in swamp s and forest streams.
Oxygen distribution also strongly affects the solubility of
inorganic nutrients since it helps to change the redox
potential of the medium. It can determine whether the
environm ent is aerobic or anaerobic (B eadle, 1981).
The principal source of oxygen that is dissolv ed in
water is by direct absorption at the air-water interface,
which
is
greatly
influenced
by temperature
(Plimmer, 1978, K utty, 1987). At low tem perature more
oxygen diffuses into w ater because the partial pressure is
reduced, wh ile at high temperature when the partial
pressure is high oxyg en diffuses ou t of the water. The
solubility of oxygen in water is controlled by some major
factors namely temperature, salinity, pressure and
turbulence in the water caused by wind, current and
waves. Surface agitation of water helps to increase the
solubility of dissolved oxygen in water (Boyd, 198 2). In
rivers and streams the turbulence ensures that o xygen is
uniformly distributed across the water and in very shallow
streams the water may be super saturated (Abowei et al.,
2010).
The hydrogen ion conc entration of w aters is usually
measured in terms of pH , which is defined as the negative
logarithm of hyd rogen ion concentration (Boyd, 1979).
Pure water ionizes at 25ºC to give a concentration of
10 -7 g/L.
This conc entration is the pH of neu trality and is equal
to 7. pH higher than 7 indicates increasing salinity and
basicity while values lower than 7 tend towards
acidity i.e. increase in hydrogen ion concentration.
Abowei (2010) noted that pH higher than 7 but lower than
8.5 is ideal for biological productivity while pH lower
than 4 is detrimental to aquatic life. Most organisms
including shrimps do not tolerate wide variations of pH
over time and if such conditions persist death m ay occu r.
Therefore, waters with little chan ge in pH are usually
more conducive to aquatic life.
The pH of natural waters is greatly influenced by the
concentration of carbon dioxide which is an acidic gas.
Boyd and LichtKoppler (1979) stated that phytoplankton
and other aquatic vegetation remove carbon dioxide from
the water during photosynthesis, so the pH of a water
body rises during the day and decreases at night. Other
factors that ma y affect pH are total alkalinity, acid rain
and river-off from surrounding rocks and water
discharges. Rivers flowing through forest have been
reported to contain holmic acid, which is the result of the
decomposition and oxidation of organic matter in them
hence has low pH (Bea dle, 1981).
The alkalinity (HCOG 3 and COG 3 ) of a water body
refers to the quantity and kinds of dissolved ions (anions),
which collectively shift the pH to the alkalinity side of the
scale. It is an indirect measure of the concentration of
anions in water. It is caused by or attributed to the
presence of bicarbonates, carbonates, hydroxides and less
frequently by
borates,
silicates and phosphates
(McNeely et al., 1979). These ions are derived from
dissolved rocks, salts, soils, industrial wastewater
discharges and plant activities. There are three types of
alkalinity namely: carbonate alkalinity (caused by
carbonates and bicarbonates), phen olphth alein alkalinity
(due to hydroxyl ions) and total alkalinity (the sum total
of the two). It is the total alkalinity of water that is usua lly
determined. It is expressed as milligram per litre
equivalent of calcium trixocarbonate (iv) (CaCO 3 ).
The availability of carbon (iv) oxide for
phytoplankton growth is related to alkalinity. Boyd (1982)
observed that waters w ith total alkalinities between 20
and 50 mg/L permit plankton production for fish culture.
W aters with high alkalinity are undesirable because of the
associated excessive hardness or high concentration of
sodium salts. Alkalinity in the range of 30 to 500 m g/L is
generally acceptable to fish and shrimp production
(McNeely et al., 1979). Alkalinity in natural surface
waters rarely exceeds 500 mg/L and it is desirable that
there should be no sudden variations in the alkalinity of
waters so that productivity is not affected (ESB, 1973;
Manah am, 1994).
Salinity can be defined as the total concentration of
electrically charged ions in water. These ions are the four
major cations - calcium, magnesium , potassium and
sodium and the four common anions- carbonates (CO 3 ),
sulphates (SOG 4 ), Chloride (ClG) and bicarbonates
(HCOG 3 ). Other components of salinity are charged
nitrogenous compounds such as nitrates (NOG 3 ),
ammonium ions (NH4 + ) and phosphates (PO 4 = ). Salinity is
expressed either as a mass of these ions per unit volume
of water or as milli-equivalent of the ions per volume of
water. In gen eral the salinity of surface waters depends on
the drainage area, the nature of its rock, precipitation,
human activity in the area and its proximity to marine
water (McNeely et al., 1979).
Conductivity is a measure of the ability of water to
conduct an electrical cu rrent. Th e con ductivity of w ater is
dependent on its ionic concentration and temperature.
Distilled water has a conductivity of about 1 :mhos/cm
and natural waters have conductivity of 20-1500
:mhos/cm (Boyd, 1979). Conductivity provides a good
indication of the changes in a water composition
particularly its mineral concentration.
Variations of dissolved solids in water could affect
conductivity measurements, but provides no indication of
the relative q uantities of the v arious com ponents. There is
a relationship be tween co nductivity an d total dissolved
solids in water. As more dissolved solids are added,
water’s conductivity increases (McNeely et al., 1979).
200
Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 199-207, 2010
Conductivity of salt waters is usually higher than
freshwater because the former co ntains more electrically
charged ions than the latter. The freshwater zone of the
rivers of the N iger D elta can thus be said to be low in
ions.
Phosphorus is present in natural waters either as
orthophospha te or undifferentiated organic ph osphate. In
water, the combin ed form of the element is con tinually
changing due to the process of decomposition and
synthesis between organically bound forms and oxidized
inorganic forms (Kutty, 1987). Phosph orus g ets into the
water through various sources including leached or
weathered soils from igneous rocks and domestic sewage
containing huma n excrem ent. Other sou rces are
phosphates from detergents in industrial effluents and run
offs from fertilized farm lands. Phosph orus is very
important for plant growth including algal growth in water
(Boyd, 1979). Phosphates are absorbed by aqua tic plants
and algae and constitute an integral part of their body
com ponent. The total concentration of phospho rus in
uncontaminated waters is reported to be about 0.0 1 mg /l
(McNeely et al., 1979). The phosphate concentration of
the w aters of the N iger D elta is low .
Nitrate (NO3 ) is the major form of nitrogen found in
natural waters. Other forms of nitrogen present in natural
waters include molecular nitrogen (N 2 ) in solution;
amm onia as NH 3 ; ammonium and ammonia hydroxides
(NH4 and NH 4 OH) and nitrate as NO 3 . McNeely et al.
(1979) reported that surface waters rarely contain as much
as 5 mg/L and often less than 1 mg/L of nitrate. However
whe re inorganic fertilizers are used ground waters may
contain up to 1000 mg/L. The sources of nitrates in water
include human and animal wastes; weathering of igneous
and volcanic rocks; oxidation of vegetable and animal
debris.
Other sources include excrement and the nitrification
(conversion of ammon ia or nitrite to nitrate) process in the
nitrogen cycle in water. Nitrates are important for grow th
of plants and aquatic organisms such as algae. Weidner
and Keifer (198 1) observed that nitrates limit
phytoplankton growth in water. Small concentrations of
nitrates are sufficient to stimulate phy toplan kton g rowth
(Kutty, 1987). Hepher and Pruginin (1981) reported that
nitrate levels higher than 1.4m g/L did no t have any effects
in fish ponds in Israel. Wickins (1981) noted that below
100 mg/NO 3 - N/L no toxic effects to fish were observed.
Despite the importance of the parameters, information on
the isstill lacking in L ubara creek in Ogoni Land. This
study bridges the gap.
the eastern part of the Niger Delta. The upper part of the
creek extends from Bori and meanders through
W iiyaakara, Luegbo, Duburo and joins the Imo River at
Kalooko .
The creek is divided into two distinct sections
brackish water and freshwater. The brackish water stretch
is between Bane and Kalooko while the freshwater stretch
extends from Bane to Bori. The brackish water area has
the normal mangrove vegetation comprising of trees such
a s Rhiz ophora racemosa , Ave cenia afric ana,
Laguncularia racemosa etc., whereas the freshwater has
dense vegetation comprising of large trees, various palms
and aquatic macrophytes at the low intertical zone. In
freshwater area are Cocos sp., Eliasis sp., Nymphea sp.,
Lemna sp. and Raffia sp.. It is characterized by high
ambient temperature usually about 25.5ºC and above;
high relative humidity, which fluctuates between 60 and
95% and high rainfall averaging about 2500 mm
(Gobo, 1988). Th is high rainfall often increases the
volume of water in the creek hence providing good
fishing opportunity for the residents. Fishing is one of the
major activities going on along the creek because it is the
main water route of the Khana people in Ogoni area of the
Niger Delta.
The fishes caught in the area include chrysichthys
auratus, C. nigrodigitatus, Hydrocynus forskalii, Clarias
gariepinus, Pellonula leonensis, Ma lapterurus, electricus,
Gymnarchus niloticus, Synodontis nigri Hepsetus odoe,
Hernichrom is fasciatus, Tilapia zilli, Tilapia guine ensis,
Sarotherodon melanotheron and Eleotris senegalensis and
shellfish (crabs and shrimps) especially Uca tangeri
Callinectes amnicola, Goniopsis pelli, Cardisoma
armatum M. m acrobrachion, M. vollenhoveni, M.
equidens, Palaemonetes africanus, Caridina africana and
Desm ocaris tripisnosa.
Field activities: For each sampling day in the field the
following activities took place. Two plastic bottles
measuring one thousand m illilitres each were used to
collect water samples. The bottles were immersed to
about 6 cm below the water surface and filled to capacity,
brought out of the water and properly closed. Each bottle
was flushed to ensure that no air bubble existed and
transported to the laboratory for further analysis. Water
temperature was measured in situ using mercury - in-glass
thermom eter. The thermome ter wa s imm ersed in wa ter to
about 6 cm below the water surface and left to stabilize
for about five minutes and the average value was recorded
in degrees centigrade. Am bient temperature was also
measured at the sample site with mercury - in- glass
thermom eter. The therm ometer was held up right in the
air with the fingers w ith the lower part exposed to the air
for about five minutes to stabilize and average value
record ed in degree s centigrade.
Hydrogen - ion concentration (pH) was taken
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study area: The study was carried out in Luubara creek,
Ogo in land in Khana L ocal Go vernment Area of Rivers
State of the Federa l Rep ublic of Nigeria for a period of
two years (January, 20 06-D ecem ber, 20 07). The creek is
a tributary of the Imo River and is located between
longitudes 7º15!E – 7º32!E and latitudes 4º32!-4º37! N in
201
Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 199-207, 2010
immediately at the sampling site. A multiple me ter, model
U - 10 micro from Horiba L imited, Jap an w as use d to
determine pH of water. The electrode w as imm ersed into
the beaker of water sample and values recorded after five
minutes to stabilize.
Electrical conductivity was determined by the use of
multiple meters; model U-10 from Horiba Limited, Japan.
The electrode was immersed into the beaker of water and
the readings were taken, after five minutes when the
values have stabilised. After taking three readings the
avera ge va lue w as recorded.
Salinity of the water was determined by the use of
refract meter (Antergo, 28). A drop of the test water was
placed on the lens of the instrum ent w hile the meter was
held horizontally. The test water w as allow ed to remain
for about five m inutes and the salinity was then read off
from the eyepiece and average values recorded in parts
per tho usan d.
Dissolved oxygen in the water was fixed during the
sample collection. One hundred millimetres of water was
put into a clean oxygen bottle and flushed several times
until all air bubbles escaped. Two millimetres of
Manganeous sulphate (W rinkler’s solution I) and another
two millimetres of Potassium iodide - Sodium Hydroxide
(W rinkler’s solution II) were added to the bottle using a
pipette. The bottle was closed and tho roughly shaken to
ensure proper mixing. A brown precipitate forms at the
bottom of the bottle after this process. The bottle was
then, transpo rted to the laboratory fo r further analysis.
transferred to 200 mL conical flask and 1ml starch
solution was added to sample and titrated with N/100
thiosulphate solution (Na2 S0 4 . 5H 2 0) until sample changed
from dark b lue to colorless. The titration was repeated
three times and average end point recorded. The oxygen
content per litre in the water was calculated using the
formula:
(Schwoerbel, 1979)
where,
n
= Volume (ml) of thiosulphate used
f
= Titration factor of thiosulphate solution (= about 1)
V = Exact volume of the oxygen flask used
v
= Total volume of MnSO 4 and N aOH added.
The stannous chloride method was used for
Phospha te (APHA , 1998 ). The principle is that phosph ate
ions combine with amm onium to form a m olybd ate
complex. The moly bdate contained in the co mplex is
reduced by stannous chloride to a blue color. The
phospha te in the sample, causing a color can be measured
photo metrically using a spectrophotometer. 50 mL of
water to be treated was placed in a volumetric flask and 2
mL of mo lybda te wa s added.
Turbidity was measured using a spectrophotometer
model 12ID. 0.2 mL stannous chloride reagent was added
and properly shaken. After 10 min, 4 mL of treated
sample was placed in a corve tte and values read at 690 nm
wavelen gth using a spectrophotometer model 12ID. Blank
sample of de-ionized water was also analyzed using the
same procedure. The phosphate in the water was
determined using the following formula:
Laboratory
activities:
The titrimetric method
(APHA, 1998) was used to determine the alkalinity of the
water. One hun dred millimeters test w ater w as plac ed in
an Erlenmey er flask and two drops of methyl orange
solution was added. The flask was shaken and color
changed to yellow. The solution was then titrated w ith
0.02N sulphuric acid (H 2 S0 4 ) color changed from yellow
to pink at the end of the titration. This procedure was
repeated three times and the average value recorded. The
value was used for estimating of total alkalinity with the
formula:
(APHA , 1998)
where,
(APHA, 1998)
where,
A
N
Ml samp le
V
A
a
Cl
= mL of acid used in titration of sample
= normality of acid used
= volume of water sample in ml
C
The amount of oxygen in the water was estimated by
tritrimetric methods (S chw oerbel, 1979; A PHA , 1998). In
the laboratory, the oxygen bottle was opened and 3 mL of
sodium bisulphate solution were put to dissolve the
precipitate. The bottle w as closed ag ain and shaken to
dissolve the precipitate. 50 mL of contents w ere
= Original volume (mL) of sample taken for analysis
= Measured absorbance of treated sample
= M olar absorptivity
=
P0 4 (mg/L) in the portion of sample taken
for analysis
= PO 4 (mg/L ) sample
The brucine method was used for the estimation of
Nitrate - Nitrogen (APHA , 1998). The method is based on
the principle that brucine in acidic medium reacts w ith
Nitrate (NO3 ) to produce a yellow color at elevated
temperatures. Ten millimeters of water to be tested was
measured into a test tub e befo re gen tly adding sulphuric
202
Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 199-207, 2010
Table 1: Mean monthly rainfall and humidity of the study area
M onth
Rainfall (mm)
R ela tiv e h um id ity (% )
January, 2006
1.8
68.80
February
46 .5
65.75
March
50 .7
71.60
Ap ril
12 0.7
75.00
May
13 2.8
74.75
June
24 3.7
78.00
July
39 9.6
80.60
Aug ust
21 0.1
80.20
September
35 2.4
76.00
October
21 8.1
76.75
Novem ber
95 .7
72.25
December
5.4
69.75
Mean
66 .4
January, 2007
17 .1
68.00
Febru ary
85 .9
72.06
March
17 0.8
75.25
Ap ril
12 1.4
77.75
May
24 7.3
84.00
June
38 3.2
85.00
July
25 2.9
82 .4
Aug ust
22 8.4
79.75
September
28 5.2
74.75
October
19 5.2
74.75
Novem ber
28 .7
72.50
Mean
169.28
75.10
SD
117.57
5.30
Source: IITA, Onne (2008) in Abowei and George(2009)
acid, H 2 SO 4 . The test tube content was cooled in a water
bath for twenty m inutes and 0 .2 mL of bruc ine sulphate
was added an d properly m ixed.
The sample was then allow ed to boil for 25 min in a
water bath. The boiled sample was removed and allowed
to cool in a cold bath. Fo ur millimeters of this sample was
placed in a corvette and values read off at 410 nm using
a spectrophotom eter model 121D . This procedure was
repeated using a blank sample of distilled water which
was used as the reference reading to compare. The
quantity of Nitrate (NO 3 ) was calculated as follows:
(APHA , 1998)
where,
C = Concentration of N-N03 in sample
A = Measured absorbance for the sample
a
= Molar absorptivity
RESULTS
The results of physical and chem ical parameters
during the study are summarized in Table 1, 2 and 3.
Table 1 shows the monthly rainfall data and humidity for
the area. The mean m onthly rainfall during the sampling
period was 169.28±117.57 mm; while the mean m onthly
humidity was 75.10±5.3%.
The ambient temperature recorded for the study area
was between 27.65 and 34.35ºC (Table 2) with a mean of
30.62± 0.37ºC (Table 3). The surface water tem perature
ranged from 25.05 to 32.20ºC with a mean of
27.58±0.18ºC .
The pH values ranged from 5.00 and 7.5 (acidic to
neutral). All the three stations were slightly acidic (pH
6.33-6.56) with a mean of 6.43±0.09. Station 1 and 3
showed slight alkalinity. The lowest pH was record ed in
station 2 while station 1 recorded the highest pH.
Total alkalinity values ranged from 5.0 mg/L and
15.0 mg/L with a mean of 8.11±0.23 mg/L. Station 3
recorded the highest alk alinity (8.3 5±2.2 mg/L ) while
station 2 had the lowest alkalinity (7.89±2.10 mg/L). The
alkalinity pattern of the creek was variable.
Electrical conductivity ranged from 8.0 and 24.50
:s/cm and the mean conductivity was 13.37±1.27 :s/cm.
Station 1 had the low est electrical conductivity
(12.32±4.13 :s/cm). The turbidity of the water ranged
from 1.50 N IU to 10.00 NT U w ith a mean o f 4.92±0.09
NTU. Station 1 recorded the lowest mea n turbid ity
(4.28±2.05 NTU) w hile station 2 had the highest mean
turbidity (4.50±2.46 NT U).
The dissolved oxygen concentration values ranged
from 4.00 to 7.50 m g/L with a mean of 5.88±0.21 mg/L.
There was a fall in the oxygen concentration. Station 3
had the highest mean oxygen concentration (6.19±0.99
mg/L) while station 2 had the highest mean concentration
of 5.73 ±0.89 mg /L.
Luubara creek is a fresh water creek. Station 1 and
station 2 had zero salinity throughout the study period. It
was only in station 3 that salinity increased from 0 to
0.2‰ in the dry season. The mean salinity was
0.03±0.0‰.
The phosphate concentration in the study area ranged
from 0.02 to 0.86 mg/L with a mean of 0.54±0.32 mg/L.
Station 1 had the least phosphate concentration
(0.73±0.11 mg/L) while station 2 recorded the highest
phospha te concentration (0.86±0.12 m g/L).
The nitrate concentration values ranged from 0.03 to
1.95 mg/L (0.30±0.09 mg/L. Station 1 had the lowest
mean nitrate co ncen tration of 0.22± 0.03 mg/L w hile
station 3 had the highest mean nitrate concentration
(0.43±0.54 mg/L ).
DISCUSSION
The surface w ater temperature o btained for Lu ubara
creek during the stud y (25.05-32.20ºC) with a mean of
27.58±0.18ºC. is comparable to that of Chindah and
Braide (2004) for Elechi creek (26.1-30.4ºC) and that of
Zabbey and Hart (2005) for the freshw ater sec tion of W oji
creek (25.8-28.9ºC); Erondu and Chindah (1999a) for the
upper reaches of the New Calabar River (25.5-32ºC), and
Dibia (2007) for the Mini Chindah stream, Port H arcourt
(25.0-27ºC ). The surface wa ter temp erature was lower
203
Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 199-207, 2010
Table 2: The range, mean and standard deviation of physical and chemical
Phy sico-che mcial pa rameters
Station 1
----------------------------------------Range
Mean±SD
A m b ie n t t em p er at ur e ( ºC )
27.85-33.60
30 .41 ±1 7.7
W a t er te m pe ra tu re (º C )
26.20-32.20
27.79±1.67
pH
5.55-7.50
6.53±51
Alkalinity (mg/L)
5.0 -15 .0
8.3 5± 2.2
Conductivity (:s/cm)
10 -18 .0
12.32±2.11
T u rb id it y ( NT U )
2-80
4.28±2.05
Dissolved oxygen (mg/L)
4.5 0-6 .9
5.73±0.77
Salinity (% 0 )
0.00-0.00
0.00-0.00
Phosphate (P0 4 (mg/L)
0.02-0.06
0.73±0.11
N it ra te (N O 3 ) (mg/L)
0.03-1.00
0.22±0.33
parameters of water at the various stations in Luubara creek
Station 2
Station 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Range
Mean±SD
Range
Mean±SD
27.65-33.00
30.33±1.69
27.75-34.35
31 .16 ±2 .0
26.65-31.00
27.62±1.32
25.05-30.65
27.34±1.76
5.00-7.50
6.33±0.59
5.41-2.50
6.56±0.57
5.05-11.50
7.89±2
5.05-11.50
7.89±2.10
9.00-20.00
12.78±2.99
8.0-24.50
15.02±4.13
1.50-10.00
4.50±2.46
2.0-8.50
4.48±2.49
4.00-7.00
5.73±0.89
4.60-7.55
6.19±0.99
0.00-0.00
0.00-0.00
0.00-0.02
0.01±0.04
0.02-0.80
0.08±0.15
0.00-0.65
0.86±0.12
0.03-1.00
0.25±0.25
0.03-1.95
0.43±0.54
Table 3: Mean values of physical and chemical parameters of water measured in Luubara creek
Physico-chemical
Station 1
Station 2
Station 3
A m b ie n t t em p er at ur e ( ºC )
30.41±1.77
30.33±6.90
31.16±2.00
W a t er te m pe ra tu re (º C )
27.79±1.65
27.62±1.32
27.34±1.76
pH
6.50±0.51
6.30±0.59
6.50±0.57
Alkalinity (mg/L)
8.35±2.20
7.89±2.00
7.89±2.10
Conductivity (:s/cm)
12.32±2.11
12.78±2.99
15.02±4.13
T u rb id it y ( NT U )
4.28±2.05
4.50±2.46
4.48±2.49
Dissolved oxygen (mg/L)
5.73±0.77
5.73±0.89
6.19±0.99
Salinity (% 0 )
0.00
0.00
0.10±0.04
Phosphate (PO 4 ) (mg/L)
0.73±0.11
0.08±0.15
8.86±0.12
N it ra te (N O 3 ) (mg/L)
0.22±0.33
0.25±0.25
0.43±0.54
than the ambient temperature w hich range d from 2735.4ºC, (31.03±2 .22). This corroborate with the results of
Abowei (2000) w ho noted a water tem perature of 27.8328.02ºC (28.0±1.32ºC) for the lower Nun river. This trend
was equally observed by Du blin-Green (1990),
Chindah (2004), Braide et al. (2004) and Davies et al.
(2008) in their studies in the Niger Delta. When the
surface temperature values of this study were subjected to
analysis, there were no significant differences in values
between the stations and also betwee n the years (p> 0.05).
The slight variations in both ambient and water
temperatures (31.16±2.00ºC) observed could be attributed
to a number of factors such as climatic conditions,
surrounding vegetation, volume of water and the degree
of exposu re to sunlight. Surface w ater temperatures are
usua lly lower than ambient temperatures because during
the day, m ost of the heat absorbed into the water is lost
through conv ection of currents, reflection at the surface
and diffraction process (Tait, 1981). Generally, the
surface water temperature follows the pattern observed for
the ambient temperature and is influenced by inflows and
heat exchange betw een the two (Aw achie, 1981 ).
The values reported by Kosa (2007) are relatively
narrow when compared to that observed in the present
study. How ever, when the ambient temperature values of
this study were subjected to statistical analysis, there were
significant differences in ambient temperature of water
between station 1 and station 2 in 20 06 (p<0 .05) but there
were no significant differences between station 1 and
station 3 in 2006. There were also no significant
differences in ambient temperature between station 1 and
Mean
30.62
27.58
6.43
8.11
3.37
4.92
5.88
0.03
0.54
0.30
SD
0.37
0.18
0.09
0.23
1.27
0.09
0.21
0.04
0.32
0.09
station 3 (p>0.05) and also between station 2 and station
3 in 2007.
The rainfall range for the study area from the record
was 1.8-399.6 mm (169.29±117.57). The results obtained
during this study are within this range (200-300 mm) as
suggested by Iloeje (197 2).
The hydrogen ion concentration, (pH) of L uubara
creek observed in this study range d from acidic to neutral
(pH 5.00-7.50). It is known that freshwaters of the Niger
Delta tend to be acidic with pH range between 5.5-7.0
(Hamor and P hilip-H owards, 1985; Adeniyi, 1986 and
Chindah, 2003), while estuaries are alkaline (pH 8.18-8.7)
(Chindah and B raide 2004).
The pH values 5.00-7.00 obtained for this study are
within the limits to supports aquatic life as suggested by
Boyd and Lichtkoppler (1979) for optimum fish and
shrimp production (pH 6.5-9.0). However, the water is
slightly acidic, a situation which was also observed by
Kosa (2007) for upper Luu bara creek (pH 6.60 -6.71).
Statistical analysis of this study sh ow that there were no
significant differences between the pH values of the
stations and also between the years (p>0.05)
The electrical conductivity of the Luubara creek
water recorded in this study ranged between 8.0 and 24.50
:s/cm (13.37±1.17 :s/cm). The conductivity result also
comp are favorably with the range obtained by Deekae and
Henrion (1993) for the freshwater section of the New
Calabar, Rivers State (22-350 :mho s).
The fact that the conductivity has a mean of 14.80
:s/cm suggests that Luubara creek is a freshw ater habitat.
This classification is based on Egborge (1994)
204
Res. J. Environ. Earth Sci., 2(4): 199-207, 2010
classification of waters where he suggested that
conductivity values below 100 :s/cm are fresh w aters
while those above 1000 :s/cm are marine or salt water,
whereas those in-betw een are brac kish wa ter. How ever,
since the results of this study (8.0-24.50 :s/cm
(13.37±1.17 :s/cm) were below 100 :s/cm, it is evident
that Lu ubara creek is fresh water.
W hen the conductivity values of this study were
subjected to analysis, there were no significant differences
in conductivity values between station 1 and station 2 and
also betw een station 2 and 3 in 2006 (p>0.05), while there
were no significance differences between station 2 and
station 3 in 2007. When the results of total alkalinity
obtained in this study were analyzed, there were
significant differences in alkalinity values between station
1 and station 2 in 2006 (p<0.05) and also between station
2 and station 3. There were also significant differences
betw een the stations in 2007 (p<0.05).
Turbidity values observed for the Luubara creek
ranged between 1.00 and 10.00 NTU (4.42±0 .09 NT U).
Turb idity depends on the am ount of colloidal materials in
water especially persistent clay particles (Mallin et al.,
1999). The values obtained showed that the water had
little suspended pa rticles. Th is mea ns that there was
enough light pene tration into the w ater column which is
necessary for the su rvival of its constituent organisms
including shrimps. These values are however higher than
the result obtained by Garricks (2008) in the lower
Som breiro river (1.7-2 .0 (1.8± 0.09) NT U.
The salinity of Luubara creek especially at Dubu ro
(station 3) was between 0.00-0.04%o which is indicative
that the creek is a freshwater habitat with some salt water
intrusion. Its closeness to Andoni river estuary might be
respo nsible for the salt that w as observed at this station in
the dry season . Other stations were typically fresh water
for both seasons.
The values of phosphate (PO 4 ) for Luubara creek was
between 0.02 and 0.8 mg /L (0.54±0.32 mg/L), while that
of nitrate was 0.03-1.61 mg/L (0.45±0.59 mg/L). These
values are within the recommended range for optimum
shrimp growth. It is also within the optimum range
recommended for phytoplankton growth (Boyd 1982;
Kautsky, 1982). Kutty (1987) suggested that very low
concentration of phosphate (0.1 mg/L) and nitrate (0.01
mg/L are required for effective plankton development
which is the base of the food chain for aquatic organisms;
hence Luubara creek environment could be favorable for
shrimp production . W hen the resu lts of the phosp hate
values obtained in this study were subjected to analysis no
significant differences were observed between station 1
and 2 in 2006 (p> 0.05). Ho wev er, there were significant
differences in pho spha te values between station 1 an d 3 in
2006 (p<0.05). There w ere also significant differences in
phospha te values between station 1 and station 2 in 2007.
W hen the results of the nitrate values obtained in this
study were subjected to analysis there were no significant
differences betw een station 1 and station 2 in 2006
(p>0.05 and also between station 2 and station 3 in 2006.
How ever, there were significant difference s in nitrate
values betw een station 2 and station 3 in 2007 (p<0.05)
but there were no significant differences between station
1 and station 2 in 2007 (p> 0.05).
The quantity of oxygen in the Luubara creek water
ranged from 4.00-7.5 mg/L (5.88±0.24 mg/L). It is also
within the range recommended for fish production (5 -75
mg/L) (Kutty, 1987; Anyawu, 1988; Boyd and
Litchtkopp ler, 1979).
Generally, oxygen levels in Luu bara creek comp are
favorably with the results of Erondu and Chindah (1991b)
in New Calabar (5.0-7.0 mg/L); Hart and Zabbey (2005)
in W oji creek (1.6-10.1 mg/L), Adeniyi (1986) in the
Bonny estuary (freshwater section) 1-4.0 mg/L) and
Garricks (2008) for the low er Sombreiro river (6.8-7.0
mg/L ).
Other factors affecting supp ly oxygen are vegetation
cover, biological oxygen demand, phytoplankton
developm ent, size of the creek and wind action
(Kutty, 1987). The results from the Luu bara creek are
typical of freshwa ter systems of the N iger Delta and
contain adequate dissolved oxygen for fish and shrimp
production. When the results of the oxygen concentration
obtained in this study were subjected to analysis, no
significant differences w ere ob served in the values
betw een the stations and betw een the years (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION
C
C
C
Luub ara creek is typical of freshwater systems of the
Niger Delta and contain adequate dissolved oxygen
for fish and sh rimp p roduction.
The results compared favorably with results of
similar studies from similar w ater bodies.
It provides su fficient da ta for the management of the
fishery and o ther sim ilar fisheries.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
W e are grateful to G od A lmighty for the strength,
knowledge and wisdom in researching and writing this
article. W e also thank our numerous colleques, friends,
wives and students whose nam es are too numerous to
mention here due to space bu t contributed im men sely to
the success of this w ork.
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